Proteans (or the Proteus effect) are unpredictable, subtle, often subconscious,
flirting signals, such as a woman's touching of her hair when first meeting a man.
The term was coined by Humphries and Driver in 1970
for unpredictable behaviour exhibited by prey animals. It was used in the context of human
courtship behaviour by Grammer ''et al.'' in 2000.
The researchers named the ritual for the shape-shifting
Greek god because of the ambiguity of the signals. The name also suggests a first impression, or something that precedes actual flirting. Because of the unconscious nature of proteans, they are not overt invitations to proceed, but more akin to "
tells" in a
poker
Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...
game.
One study found that women tend to exhibit interest in the first few minutes of their interactions with strangers regardless of their level of attraction, and only indicated their true level of interest after this time.
These signals often indicate that the sender is trying to decide whether they are interested in the "receiver". However, some individuals, instead of playing along, will overestimate the sender's interest and do something more obvious, like asking for a phone number. This can be clumsy and confusing to both parties, and understanding the concept of protean signals is useful for avoiding such missteps. Misinterpreting those cues and responding to them overeagerly is commonly said to happen to men more than women, although both can suffer when this happens.
Daily Times, Pakistan Mar 17 2003: Solved: flirting code that baffles the boys
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See also
* Fidgeting
References
Interpersonal attraction
Nonverbal communication